TTCDA adopts bylaws amendments to add ethics and attendance rules and clarify procedures

The Technology Corridor Development Authority on March 2025 adopted amendments to its bylaws to align meeting procedures with county administrative rules and to add language on ethics, attendance and public participation.

Staff summarized the changes as largely housekeeping: adding section tags and titles for clarity; changing the annual meeting language so the authority’s annual meeting “shall be held following the regular meeting in September of each year at a place designated by the chairman” instead of specifying a second-Monday timing; removing references to a work plan and budget because the TTCDA has no source of funds; and removing standing and ad hoc committee language that the authority does not use.

The amendments add an open-meetings statement that references state law and revise attendance requirements: members must notify the chair in advance of an absence and the chair may determine whether an absence is excused; any member who fails to attend 75% of meetings in a 12-month period may be asked to resign and will be replaced following the established government appointment process. The changes also incorporate a request from the Knox County Rules Committee to adopt language around ethics and attendance; staff said the Rules Committee asked county-affiliated boards and committees without explicit ethics or attendance language in their bylaws to adopt the Knox County ethics policy and attendance policy.

Other procedural clarifications included moving some detailed hearing-notice language to the Administrative Rules and Procedures, formalizing that authority staff (rather than the secretary specifically) present cases, and reaffirming public participation limits (applicants and opposition limited to five minutes each). After a brief discussion about members having time to review the changes, a commissioner moved to approve, another seconded, and the authority approved the bylaw amendments by voice vote.